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Scene of apparent murder-suicide in San Leandro near 137th Ave. and Wake. The car in the picture, seen through crime scene tape, is apparently where the shootings transpired. PHOTO: Mark Costantini/San Francisco Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND SF CHRONICLE/ -MAGS OUT

Photo: Mark Costantini

shooting_060_mc.jpg
Scene of apparent murder-suicide in San...

SAN LEANDRO / Girl shot dead near high school / Horrified classmates witness the violence, then see gunman kill himself, police say

A 14-year-old girl was killed not far from San Leandro High School on Thursday by a young man who shot her in the back and then took his own life as horrified classmates looked on, police said.

The killing occurred in a residential neighborhood just blocks away from San Leandro High School as the girl, a sophomore at the campus, was walking to school shortly before 8 a.m.

Her killer -- believed to be between 16 and 18 years old -- pulled up to the curb at 136th and Wake avenues in a green 1995 Chevrolet Camaro, got out and, without saying a word, opened fire with a shotgun, police said.

"He got out of the car, walked up behind her and shot her several times and then shot himself," said San Leandro police Lt. Marc DeCoulode. He declined to provide any further details on the suicide.

Several students witnessed the shooting, police said.

The two knew each other, but investigators have not established a motive for the killing, he said. Authorities have not confirmed the gunman's identity, but he is not believed to be a student at San Leandro High.

The killing unfolded quickly.

"He just shot her three times," said a woman who lives nearby but who said she was too scared to give her name. "I was like, 'Oh my God!' I closed my eyes and started crying."

The girl lived near the campus with relatives, and a makeshift memorial of flowers and balloons soon appeared at the corner where she and the gunman died.

"She was kind of quiet," said Johnathan Standley, 15, a ninth-grader at the school. "She used to walk around and say hi to people. She did not deserve to die like this."

Campus administrators locked down the school for 20 minutes in the wake of the shooting so police could determine just what happened, and then bolstered security for the remainder of the day. San Leandro police also made their presence known around the school when classes ended for the day.

Principal Amy Furtado sent each student home with a letter to parents that read, in part, "San Leandro High School is safe. There is no continuing danger. Students have been counseled to be respectful of the victims by not spreading rumors or engaging in conflict."

Another student, Tameka Perry, 17, said the apparent murder-suicide is the latest in a spate of tragedies in recent years associated with the campus, including a drowning and a suicide.

"Every year, something happens," Perry said as she stood near the yellow crime scene tape. "It's just sad."

San Leandro Vice Mayor Orval Badger agreed, saying, "That makes it so tragic, that it happened adjacent to the high school. My heart and thoughts go out to their parents, friends and associates."